The Life of Matthew

Breastfeeding is how Mummy and I spend most of our time together. I’m a very hungry little boy. Mummy says I’m just as greedy as Daddy, although I don’t think he cries if you take his food away. (Not that Mummy takes my food away, but sometimes I lose the nipple and get cross with myself.)

Breastfeeding is how Mummy always knew she would feed me and in a previous post I went through all the good things I’d found out about breastfeeding. We’ve been very lucky because we haven’t had any problems. I know that some babies don’t latch on easily but I just grab the breast and go! We thought at first that we might have a problem because apparently Mummy has flat nipples. This is something she never realised before I came along, but both her doctor and midwife pointed it out before I was born. At first Mummy was a little upset as she thought it meant that she wouldn’t be able to breastfeed, but the midwife told her that with a nipple guard I would still be able to latch on. Apparently it also works for women with inverted nipples. It also stops her breasts from becoming cracked and sore and the way I grab on sometimes I think she’s quite glad that she needs it!

Our best friend while we breastfeed is our nursing pillow. Mummy calls it the Big Blue Sausage. It wraps around her like a big ‘U’ and so gives great support for her back. I rest on top of the pillow so Mummy doesn’t tire out her arms holding me. Considering how long it sometimes takes me to eat that’s a good thing. And her hands are free to cuddle me, read or work the TV remote. Having the pillow means that Mummy and I can enjoy the whole feeding experience; Mummy doesn’t get tired or bored and when I go to sleep after feeding I’ve got a comfortable pillow to rest on. The cover can be washed which is a good thing; we’ve had all sorts of ‘accidents’ on it already!

I don’t really have that much of a feeding schedule. Every time Mummy thinks I do I change it to shake things up a little. Mummy feeds me whenever I’m hungry. Sometimes it takes me ages to eat and sometimes I’ll just have a quick bite. Sometimes I want lots of quick bites within a short space of time. I think Mummy is getting a feel for what kind of feeding mood I’m in. I try hard not to be hungry when she’s eating her own food sometimes I can’t help it. Mummy’s food then goes into the oven until I’ve finished eating. It’s hardest when we’re out and about together. Mummy says she’s still not sure about how people here feel about breastfeeding in public, so although we’re very discreet about it we always hope that I can wait until we get home. But if I can’t then we’re off to a quiet corner. Sometimes we go and sit in the car. Mummy doesn’t care that most of her day now revolves around feeding me and that it’s difficult for her to move too far away from the settee and the nursing pillow. She loves the time we spend together every day. She sings to me and talks to me and sometimes after feeding she’ll pick me up and I’ll sit in her arms. She calls it ’snuggle time.’

We invested in a breast pump so that Daddy can feed me if Mummy needs to go out and I can’t come. I’m quite happy to eat from my bottle although some breastfed babies don’t like the change. Some people say you should wait to introduce a bottle until your baby is a confident breast feeder, otherwise he might decide that he only wants his bottle because it’s a lot easier to get food out of a bottle than a breast.

Mummy’s advice to other breastfeeding mummies is to invest in a nursing pillow and find a comfortable place to turn into a ‘nursing station.’ Every night after she’s put me to bed she gets everything ready so we can just get on with it quickly when we get up in the night. She says relax and enjoy the experience. Have some of your favourite DVDs ready to watch, something you’ve seen often enough not to need to rewind because you’re paying attention to your baby. If you’re channel surfing between endless re-runs you’ll just get stressed and then baby will get upset. Ignore anyone who says you’re feeding your baby too often (you cannot overfeed a purely breastfed baby) or who thinks your baby should be able to deal with whatever amount of food he’s already had. Mummy says only your baby knows when he’s had enough - and in time mummies will know too. Prepare to receive lots of advice about positioning and technique - even from people who have no idea what they’re talking about!
And now I want feeding so it’s time to get the pillow out!

Until next time, bye bye.